Mechanical Miracle
by angelswings217
Summary: Ten years after TF3, Autobots and humans live together peacefully. Ian is the son of a diplomat and grew up around Autobots. When he tries to cure a girl's fear of Autobots, he gets himself into more than he could have ever imagined. May be T later on.
1. The Girl with the Glove

**Well. This has to be my first TF work in a very long time. I'd like to thank Panic Switch for convincing me that I should write this story. Go check out her work, **_**Pathways**_**. **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own transformers. **

Full Summary: Ten years after the events of TF3, Autobots have been almost fully integrated into human society. The Decepticons are on the run. Ian Kenly is the son of a diplomat and has an Autobot guardian. He fits right in at his new school, but when he sets his heart on helping to cure a girl's fear of all things Cybertronian, he gets himself involved in much more than he could have ever imagined.

**Mechanical Miracle **

Chapter 1

The Girl with the Glove

The school complex was placed in a generously open area for its location. Placed smack dab in the middle of the towering metal city of Neopolis, this area had clearly been set aside from the beginning of the metropolis's construction. It created an awkward gap between the many taller buildings. The campus was wide open and took up over two square miles.

The city housed both humans and Autobots alike, so the buildings were naturally much larger than those of other cities on Earth, which had been designed to accommodate humans only.

Along the sidewalks, cylindrical machines picked up pieces of trash, making sure to avoid the many people. In the streets, perfectly smooth and gray, many different vehicles of different makes and designs moved. Around half of them didn't have drivers—drivers in the seats, at least.

It was the year 2021. Things had changed since the war with the Decepticons. After the battle in Chicago, people had realized that the Decepticons would never leave them alone. After the battle in Chicago, people realized that the Autobots were willing to disregard their ignorance and still fight for their safety. People realized that the only good future for the two races was one where they worked together.

Arcee wove through the traffic. Her human passenger didn't hold on as tightly as most others would. He'd spent two thirds of his life with her, and he trusted the electric blue femme with his life. Everyone who knew him knew her. Most who knew him had worn the spare helmet she always kept incase a friend of her charge needed a lift.

"A school where Autobots teach human kids. It's like a dream," he wondered.

She slowed down as they got closer. "It shows that people are changing for the better."

They pulled up to the school. There was a driveway that led straight into the building, for Autobots to use only. Not for segregation, but for safety. They could walk in the partially underground complex, and it was just safer to keep humans out of their walkways.

After he got off, Arcee transformed. There were only a few quick glances from the other students. Autobots dropping off kids wasn't uncommon. Many parents preferred to carpool with them since Autobots didn't need gas.

"Nice uniform."

"You said that before we left."

Ian had been to more than one private school over the years and he had seen worse uniforms. The simple blue blazer, red tie and gray dress pants were mercifully simple. At one school he'd worn plaid pants. He was relieved that the only plaid in the area was completely comprised of the girls' skirts.

"Have a nice day," she said in an exaggerated motherly tone.

"Bye!"

(…)

He walked into the room and saw that it was astonishingly large. The seats were elevated like a movie theatre, all above a massive open space where a light yellow Autobot with a medical logo on his right armplate stood. A few students glanced at him. Some girls smiled at him then whispered to each other. Ian felt his cheeks flush.

_Ratchet!_ He thought. _One of the first to arrive on Earth!_

"Welcome, Mr. Kenly. I'll ignore your lateness since this is your first day. Take any open seat you like."

Most of the seats in front were taken, but the entire back row was completely empty, save for one seat in the middle. It was a girl. She had wild, short black hair and fair skin. She stared at her notes with a blank expression.

He sat next to her and immediately heard chatter amongst the students. It didn't bother him. Ian transferred a lot and was used to the new kid routine, but he'd never been to a school like Neopolis Academy. Being so far back in such a large room made reading the board extremely difficult. It was electronic, a touch screen designed for Autobot use, but it was still hard to read. He could barely make out the math equations on the board.

He awkwardly doodled on his Touchpad, trying to look like he was doing his work. Ratchet hadn't opened the option for children to access the information on the board and Ian didn't want to attract attention to himself by asking him to open it.

The girl handed him a pair of binoculars with a gloved hand.

Ian stared at her. She maintained a completely blank expression.

"Thanks," he said. "Uh, nice glove."

She didn't respond.

"_Ice queen!"_ He thought.

(…)

Ian could feel his mouth water as he stared at the school cafeteria's generous selection of foods. He quickly picked a large sandwich and a plate of fries. He merely placed his Com Bracelet against the automated register to pay.

The sitting area rivaled those of actual malls in terms of size. He saw the girl from before sitting by herself.

A tall, blonde boy, clearly a senior, placed an arm around Ian's shoulder. "Hey, new kid. Ian, right?"

"Y-yeah. And you?"

"Liam. Come sit with us."

Ian was amazed. He could tell that Liam's table was the in-crowd: cheerleaders and jocks. People giggling and talking about the latest gossip. He was luckier than most new kids, that was for sure.

"So, is it true that you've met Sam?" One girl asked.

Ian nearly groaned. Sam Witwicky was a legend, the man who saved the world three times—twice when he was still a teenager. There wasn't a kid alive that hadn't idolized him at some point, and he was like the big brother Ian had never had. This was Ian's first day at this school, and somehow someone had found out about their relationship.

He had to fudge it. "Kind of. Not that much though."

Thankfully, the other kids got the message and changed the subject. These kids knew all of the ins and outs of Neopolis—the places to hang out, see cool stuff and just have fun. Ian was really lucky. Most of the time when he transferred, he had to deal with being a social outcast for at least a week before finding a clique that would let him in.

"Hey," he began. "Do you know her name?" He asked.

Liam took a sip of his soda. "Who's name?"

He gestured towards the girl with the glove, still sitting by herself.

"Oh God," on girl groaned.

Ian felt his cheeks burn. "What? What did I say?"

Liam glared at him. _"Please_ don't tell me that you have the hots for her!"

"What? No! It's just… She seemed nice, and I never got her name."

Several of the students let out exasperated groans. Something was seriously wrong.

Liam came close to Ian. "Listen," he pointed at the girl. "That's Skylar Wreathe. You don't look at her, you don't talk to her, and you don't acknowledge her. At all!"

"Why?"

"She's a total skank, man!" One boy said.

"Well that's a little harsh."

Liam grit his teeth. "She hates anything and everything Cybertronian."

Ian was speechless. "Well then why is she at this school?"

"Two reasons: the staff doesn't care, and she's like a total prodigy," Liam sneered. "See her Touchpad? Doesn't it look like it's not normal make?"

Ian nodded.

"She made it herself."

"That's amazing!"

"On her first day she came in with pens and papers. The teachers told her that she'd never be able to keep up and they were ready to give her a free Touchpad. You know what she said?"

Another girl cut in. "Not many people noticed it, but I was right there. 'All standard Touchpads are made by Autobots.' She went into the tech room and put hers together in record time. The teachers were impressed, but I think that she was trying to say that she was better than them."

(…)

They drove across the city, towards a complex that towered over every other massive building in Neopolis. There were several raised highways that led into the building. They had to go through a gate and several layers of security, all of which were manned by both Autobots and humans. There had never been a security breach in the building's history, and no one intended to let a first come about.

Arcee drove into the main office. The secretary was a human, and her desk was human-sized, but the rest of the room was _massive_ on human scale. Some of the tallest Autobots could stand upright in the lobby without any trouble.

The secretary ushered them in. Arcee helped Ian onto the raised walkway humans and smaller Autobots used. Again, not for segregation, but for safety. They turned right and entered a large room, completely overtaken by machinery and Autobots. There were only two humans in the room, counting Ian. The other was Sam Witwicky.

The man, now in his early thirties, was wearing dress pants and a polyester shirt. He stood near his guardian, Bumblebee, running through some paperwork on his Touchpad. There were many different models of the devices, and many different brands with different capabilities, but everyone just called them Touchpads.

Sam smiled. "How was your first day?"

"Cool, mostly."

"How so?"

"That's what I wanted to talk to you guys about. Arcee, Bumblebee, could you guys come here too?"

The four stood together.

"School was great, at first. I managed to make a few friends, but there was this one girl…"

Sam smirked and patted Ian on the back. "Oh, I know what you're going through. She doesn't know you exist, does she?"

Ian shook his head. "It's not that! She seemed nice, just a little… I don't really know how to explain it, but the other kids says that she hates anything Cybertronian."

Bumblebee let out a saddened sigh-like noise. Sam groaned. Arcee crossed her arms.

"Why would someone like that even be in Neopolis?"

"The other kids say that the teachers don't blame her—and she's supposed to be really smart, too."

Sam scratched his head. "Isn't Ratchet supposed to be your teacher? Maybe I should ask him. He should be coming in soon. What's the girl's name?"

"Skylar Wreathe."

Sam dropped his Touchpad..

Sam slowly came up to Ian and looked him dead in the eyes. "Did she have black hair?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"You look like you saw Megatron's ghost," Arcee joked.

"She's alive," Sam sighed. "She's actually alive!"

"Can you explain what's going on?" Ian shouted.

Sam sat down at a bench and rubbed his temples. "It was in the attack on Chicago. We were about to get into the city, and there were some civilians still trying to get away. Then we saw a girl, very young and completely alone, running away. She had been on a field trip and got separated from her class in the process. One member of our group volunteered to leave and help her get out of the city.

"After the attack, we tried to get in touch with him."

Arcee, Bumblebee and Ian waited.

"We found his remains and his communicator, not far from where he'd left. There were a few bones that didn't match his DNA, however. That of an arm, but it wasn't fully grown. Tests showed that belonged to a little girl. She was assumed dead.

"I visited her family and offered my condolences. They were heartbroken—the mother wouldn't stop crying—but they didn't blame the Autobots. If anyone, they blamed the government for trying to banish them and allowing this to happen in the first place. Last I heard of them, they wanted to do their part to help those that tried to save their daughter's life and moved here when the construction of the city began."

"Ian, you said she was wearing a glove, right?" Arcee asked.

Ian nodded.

Sam stood. "She probably got a robotic limb, then. It happens all the time."

"It must be the trauma," Ian concluded. "She wants to get over it, but she can't!"

Ian ran out of the room. "Arcee! Come on!"

"Where are we going?" She asked.

"To go cure a girl of her phobia!"


	2. I'm Not Who You Think I Am

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own transformers. **

**Mechanical Miracle **

Chapter 2

I'm Not Who You Think I Am

Ian pressed a button on the back of his helmet, linking it to his Touchpad. He saw normally, but there were images that represented his e-mail, his updates and several features that the Touchpad could link to other devices. He had Arcee take over the steering while he opened his e-mail. The first message was from Sam, containing Skylar's address.

"Take a right here!" Ian told her.

Arcee followed his directions.

"Are you really sure about this?" Arcee asked. "There are other fish in the sea."

"It's not like that!" Ian shouted. "I mean, I just feel so bad for her, and living here is probably pretty hard for her. I want to make it easier for her."

"I understand—why you're doing this and why the teachers seem to go easy on her. If being antagonized by the entire student body wasn't enough, she probably has to deal with the effects of PTSD on a daily basis."

"PTSD?"

"Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. A psychological condition that appears after traumatic events in one's life."

They soon found themselves in a rather luxurious suburb on the outskirts of the city. The hills were grassy and all the homes were in a sleek modern style. Ian had lived in his fair share of nice homes, but they were almost all apartments deep within cities. He'd never had a back yard in his life. As a child, he'd always have to walk several blocks with his parents in order to get some fresh air in a park. This made Ian somewhat envious of the homes' inhabitants.

The Wreathe residence was deep within the neighborhood. Ian let out a low whistle. He'd seen Skylar walking home from school that day. Did she take the bus? Because a tread like that on foot would take forever, and the monorail only went so far.

Skylar's house was particularly welcoming, with an exquisite garden filled with several varieties of flowers.

"That's odd," Arcee noticed.

"What's odd?"

"A lot of these flowers would have serious trouble doing well in this area's climate, but they look completely healthy."

"Maybe they're artificial."

Recent advances in genetics and botany had given rise to new breeds of flowers that could do well in foreign environments without harming the eco-systems of the surrounding area, but there were always telltale signs of the changes, such as oddly shaped petals and strange color patterns. None of these flowers showed any signs of such.

"Wait here. I'll go inside," Ian told her.

Ian walked up to the door. They were Plexiglas, but he refrained from peeking inside. He didn't want to look like a creeper.

A lovely woman that looked to be in her mid-forties opened the door for him. She had the same straight hair and fair skin as Skylar. The woman smiled and politely asked who he was. She didn't look like someone that had been traumatized by the loss of the child, although Ian figured that the joy of finding out said child was alive would most-likely negate any such effects on one's appearance.

"I-I'm a friend of Skylar's."

A tall, large man in a polo shirt and jeans walked by the door. He had a Touchpad in his hands. Although they were shown backwards on the other side, Ian recognized pages on the stock markets and business documents.

"She's busy."

"Andrew! I understand, but—" The woman said.

"I don't want a boy—"

"Skylar has a friend from school!"

Her parents clearly knew about her social plight. It looked like Mrs. Wreathe was even willing to breach her personal morals in order to make things easier on her daughter. What a nice woman.

Ian stepped inside. The home was generously large and felt wide open, with many windows and few walls. Half of the back of the home was almost completely glass, viewing a gorgeous backyard. There was another lovely garden with a large sakura tree in full bloom and a swing suspended on a branch placed in the center.

"Mom! Have you seen my pink br—?"

"_A_ friend from school is here to see you!"

Skylar was still in her school uniform and single glove, halfway down the stairwell that maintained the illusion of floating in mid-air by being suspended in a wall. She had a normal, calm look on her face, much different from the morbid blank look she had maintained throughout the school day. The moment their eyes met, her face returned to the more familiar blank stare, however.

Skylar opened the back door and made her way into the back yard. "I'm busy," she said.

Mr. Wreathe smiled triumphantly. "See!"

Mrs. Wreathe smacked her husband in the arm and led him into another room while Ian followed Skylar into the backyard. She was already sitting in the large swing, her knees pulled up to her chest.

"You shouldn't be here."

"Why not."

"If you get close to me, nothing good will happen to you."

"I don't care what the other kids say. They don't understand."

Skylar leapt to her feet and grabbed the collar of Ian's shirt.

"What do you know that they don't know?"

"That you lost an arm to a Decepticon during the attack on Chicago! That you vanished for two years!"

Skylar let go and looked down. Ian expected her to cry, but she remained silent and unmoving. He smiled and lead her around the Wreathe residence, to Arcee, still in her alt mode. He got the extra helmet and threw it to her.

She threw it back. "I'm not allowed to ride motorcycles."

Ian threw it at her, and she caught it again. "It's not a normal bike."

Ian stepped away from Arcee and she transformed. "Don't worry. I'm a good driver."

Skylar shook her head. "I can't go with you."

Ian reached out to her. "It's alright. She doesn't bite."

Skylar stepped back. "Please leave."

"But—!"

"GO!" She screamed.

Skylar ran into the house and shut the door behind her.

(…)

"Well that was a bust," Ian groaned.

The sun was setting and the two were on their way back into the city. Ian was really upset by Skylar's behavior and even felt a little resentment towards her, but he quickly banished those feelings.

"Most other kids wouldn't have even bothered. At least you tried."

"I know, but I still feel angry."

"We're just going to have to deal with people like that. Just be happy that it isn't actual prejudice."

"I guess you're right."

"I kno—" Ian heard a thump. Arcee started to swerve. "HANG ON!"

Thankfully, the road was empty. Arcee willed herself to steadily slow down despite her damaged tire. She turned on her side and managed to shake Ian off before skidding across the street and slamming into a streetlight.

Ian shakily stood up and took off his helmet. He ran over to his friend. "Why didn't you transform? What happened?"

"I tried—I can't transform! Someone shot me with an arrow! _An arrow!"_

Ian noticed the glowing weapon sticking out of one of her wheels, covered in strange markings and glowing green. The wound sparked and leaked energon.

"J-Just hang on!" Ian stammered. He grabbed on to the arrow, hoping to pull it out, but his hands burned as if they were on fire the moment they touched the arrow. "It burns!" He cried.

"Obviously."

Ian turned around. There was a man in his mid-thirties with five-o-clock shadow and an old scar running down his cheek. He wore an ugly brown suit that looked like it had gone out of style in the year 2000. He had a familiar blank expression on his face.

"We can't have that metal behemoth transforming and messing everything up, now can we?"

Ian took out his phone and tried to call for help. No bars. Several men, cloaked men, stepped out of the shadows and formed a semicircle around Ian and Arcee.

"Ian! Run!" Arcee cried. "I'll be fine! Just go!"

"I'm not leaving you!" Ian shouted. He put his fists up in a fighting stance.

The man—Ian started to call him Scar in his mind—smiled. "You're a fighter. Reminds me of when I was your age."

"Shut up!" Ian shouted.

He ran forward and tried to give him a right jab, but the man vanished.

"Ian, no!"

Ian felt the man reappear behind him. It wasn't teleportation—this wasn't a comic. It was his sheer speed. He was faster than any other person Ian had ever met, fast enough to outsmart an Autobot! Before Ian could even turn around, the man jabbed him in the back of the neck, and everything went black.

(…)

Ian's vision blurred. He tried to move his limbs, but they wouldn't budge. He opened his eyes and immediately shut them again, thinking that he was hallucinating. But nothing changed, no matter how many times he blinked. He was suspended on a wall, over ten feet above the ground. His limbs were spread out, but weren't bound by anything. He lay on some sort of pattern that glowed beneath him, the same way the arrow did. It was a circle, with a pentagram inside, and at least three rings of strange markings.

The men from before were on the ground, standing around what looked like an abandoned warehouse.

"Hey!" Ian shouted. "HEY!"

Scar looked up at him.

"Get me down from here! What the heck is going on?"

Scar turned around, but still replied. "You're a hostage."

"Yeah! I got that part! Now lemme down!"

"No."

"ARCEE'S GONNA KICK ALL OF YOUR SORRY BUTTS!"

They ignored him.

(…)

Arcee sat there for a while, trying to release distress signals and to transform, but nothing would work. Why hadn't anyone arrived? They were in a normally busy area, and the crash had been really loud, but not a soul had shown up.

Then she felt something nudge her injured wheel.

"Hello!" She cried. "Please! I need help! My friend—he's a human—he's been—"

"Kidnapped? I guessed as much."

She recognized that voice. "Skylar? Is that you?"

"The one and only."

Skylar stepped into Arcee's line of sight and grabbed the arrow. Arcee tried to stop her, to warn her that it would hurt, but even as the glowing became intense and vibrant, she didn't even flinch. She pulled it out with little effort, and Arcee was finally able to transform. There was an eroded hole in her leg now, but overall, she was alright.

"I was afraid this would happen," Skylar sighed.

She started to walk away, but Arcee merely took a single step and found herself in the girl's path.

"What? That Ian would get kidnapped? That's not your fault."

Skylar continued to stare blankly at her.

"The Kenly family has a lot of political influence and they were amongst the first to openly endorse Autobot integration into human society. They have a lot of enemies. I guarantee you that any minute now some sort of ransom is going to pop up."

They heard a caw from above.

"You're right about that much," Skylar muttered.

The vulture landed before them and it placed a piece of paper on the ground. Skylar casually picked up the sheet of paper, read it, then tossed it aside.

"What is it with these people and theatrics?" She wondered. "Tell your master I'm coming."

The vulture flew away.

Arcee looked at the paper.

_COME_

_OR THE BOY WILL BE YOUR REPLACEMENT_

She suddenly understood why Skylar seemed to be guilty. "Y…You're their target!"

Skylar glared at the Autobot, her piercing golden eyes sending a shockwave through Arcee's mental processors. She'd seen many eyes like those—optics like those. On soldiers and on Autobots. They had that deathly gravity of someone that had been in battle, fought for their life. She realized that Skylar was no normal girl stricken with PTSD. There was something more to her.

She needed a moment to figure out how to respond. "The police won't be able to do anything, will they?"

"They never have."

"So what are we going to do?"

Skylar reached into her backpack and pulled out a gun. It wasn't a normal gun. It was old-fashioned, covered in ornate metallurgy. It didn't even have a revolver.

"You're going to wait here. I'm going to go get Ian back."

"With nothing but a decorative pistol?"

The pistol was so old-fashioned that the barrel had to be opened like a shotgun. It was a wonder that humans ever considered something so inefficient feasible as a weapon. Guns like that were only for looking at in this day and age.

Skylar pointed it at her, but Arcee didn't move. Partially because the gun wouldn't hurt her and partially because it was clear that Skylar was aiming for the area next to her—either that or she was just that much of a bad shot.

Skylar took a shot. It hit the area of the building next to Arcee. Then exploded. But there was no heat. Arcee turned around and saw an area of concrete, completely gone. Three had been a boom, and a perfectly spherical area of solid stone had vanished.

Skylar turned around. "This is no ordinary gun."

Arcee was too stunned to say anything.

"You call yourself Ian's guardian? I shouldn't blame you, because those men came at you with a power no member of your kind should have ever seen, never had to deal with. But if you call yourself his guardian, then you'll come along and help me get him back."


	3. The Ugly Truth

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own transformers. **

**Mechanical Miracle **

Chapter 3

The Ugly Truth

Arcee was rather surprised at how willing Skylar was to ride her alt. mode. The only thing that seemed odd was that she refused to let her gloved hand touch her in any way.

"So how do you know where they are? I don't remember seeing any directions on that note."

"I just do. Go left here, towards the docks."

Arcee silently obeyed. She didn't pick up any radio chatter in the area, so they probably weren't watching them. Very unprofessional.

"Don't let your guard down," Skylar warned. "These people don't fight like the people you've been trained to fight. They're not Decepticons and they're not terrorists."

"Then what are they?"

"I guess that you could call them a cult of sorts. I can assure you that these men will not be relying on anything that you can detect."

"I'll be expecting an explanation when this is all over."

"You'll get one in the morning."

It was the dead of night, and Arcee could tell by the girl's vital signs that Skylar would appreciate being asleep at the moment.

Skylar got off of Arcee. "I want you to wait here."

"And do nothing while you go risk your life? You're a civilian, and a minor at that. No dice."

Skylar took out a holster and strapped it to her right thigh, then placed the gun in it. "I'm not going in alone. When I have them distracted, you'll ride around the back and get Ian out of there."

"Then what? We ride away to safety while you fight off the bad guys with your super-karate and magic pistol?"

"That's the plan."

"I don't think so."

"I think you're forgetting what this gun can do."

Arcee thought back to the hole in the concrete wall. The site was a shocking one. It had unsettled her enough to get Skylar this far on her back.

The Autobot sighed. "Skylar. That weapon is dangerous. These people are dangerous. You could get seriously hurt!"

"You think I don't know that? That's what I've been telling you this entire time!"

"And I believe you! I believe you when you say that you're strong and that you've dealt with people like this before! But I'm Ian's guardian and you're a civilian—a child. I can't let you go into the heat of battle like that! Please understand when I ask you to put that gun down and wait here. We can go into explanations later, but right now, your safety and Ian's retrieval are my top priorities."

Skylar pursed her lips. "I guess it was pretty stupid for me to think that you'd take my word for it and go along. Go ahead and do things your way—by the book." She handed Arcee the gun. The Autobot placed it in a small compartment below her knee joint.

"Thank you."

"You're going to need my help anyway."

(…)

Ian groaned. Holding still was a surprisingly easy to make one's limbs very sore. This was all unbelievably surreal. As if the markings and the cloaked men weren't enough. When Ian's family had been launched into the spotlight by their open endorsement of integrating Autobots so many years ago, his family had started to get threats of every sort. It was about two months before he met Arcee at the tender age of five.

He immediately began to think of Arcee as an older sister, as family. Almost everywhere he went, she went. Before he met Arcee, he'd known about the Decepticons and had many nightmares about them, but that soon ended after their friendship began. He wasn't afraid, because he had faith in her—he knew that she'd come.

"So why am I even here?" Ian shouted.

"I already told you—"

"Is it money? Is it something that only my parents can get you?"

Scar looked at him and smiled. He snapped his fingers and Ian found himself plummeting to the ground. He grabbed Ian by the collar of his shirt, the shock jarring his entire body.

"You really don't know anything about that girl, do you?"

Ian didn't respond. He was too stunned.

"Then let me shed some light on the situation." He let go of Ian and the boy sank to his knees as Scar took a seat on an old storage container. "You live in this city, where humans and Cybertronians can peacefully live side by side, but you don't realize that there is a killer amongst you. The girl you call Skylar vanished for over a year after the famed battle in Chicago, am I right?"

Hesitantly, Ian nodded.

"And how is it that such a fragile young girl managed to escape such a devastating disaster, where more than half of the city's human population were wiped out, leaving only their bones in the Decepticon's wake? It's because that girl has the innate ability to destroy—"

There was a sudden crash. A blue motorcycle lacking a rider burst into the warehouse. Arcee transformed and immediately knocked several of the cloaked men. She released her blaster and fired one warning shot through the roof of the building.

"Under Code 34, sub section C of the Cybertronian Integration Act, Autobots have the right to defend themselves against human attackers. In the case where an Autobot's human friend has been endangered, said Autobot is allowed to take measures to remove this human from danger safely, even if it means harming humans—so long as these humans are undergoing criminal activity. Kidnapping counts.

"If you allow my friend and I to leave peacefully, then I can assure you a light sentence at the minimum—we might even be able to avoid pressing any charges, if you're lucky."

Scar sighed. "I guessed that something like this would happen. So I hired a little extra muscle—if you can call it that."

Arcee was hit with an energy blast. Her limbs went numb. This was something designed to incapacitate a Cybertronian, but only Special Forces vehicles and certain Autobots were equipped with such weapons, because they were originally made for the Cybertronian war.

"Decepticons!" Ian cried.

Even though her vision was blurred, Arcee could make out the red optics. Decepticons were rare, scattered throughout the galaxy. With their leaders and their motivation gone, most of their kind ran from nation to nation, planet to planet, in an attempt to avoid what some humans had initially called genocide. In recent years, Decepticons were offered the chance to reform and integrate alone with Autobots, but virtually all had refused. Their programming (and their pride) wouldn't let them. While some ran, others acted as hired muscle for criminal organizations.

Arcee tried to stand, but they kicked her down. "How… How did you get into Neopolis?"

Scar cackled maniacally. "The same way that you can't contact your superiors for help and the same way that there are no people in the area!"

A cloaked man placed his hand on Scar's shoulder. "Don't cross the line. The Curators are already hot on our heels."

Scar pursed his lips. "Well, it seems that little Skylar decided not to come. Kill the Autobot. Once you're done with her, remove one of the boy's fingers and send it to her as a message."

The Decepticons pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. They both tried over and over again, but their weapons jammed no matter what they did or what they used.

"It's… It's a…" Ian couldn't find the right words.

"Miracle…" Scar sneered. "So she came."

"_Ye sinners whom know nothing of shame…"_

The two Decepticons were confused, but the cloaked men seemed very uneasy."

"_Ye who hast brought terror upon the innocent—those who nothing of our struggles, our hardships, or wars,"_

Skylar slowly walked towards them. A cloaked man tried to jump her. She stepped out of the way and performed a roundhouse kick that connected with the back of his neck, knocking him out, all whilst maintaining her strange incantation.

"_Thou shalt face my judgment."_

Several of the men ran away when Skylar finished her statement.

"Stop running, cowards!" Scar cried.

"Forget it!" One shouted. "Only another miracle can stand against her!"

_**Another**_ _miracle?_ Ian thought.

"_I askith,"_

"Make sure the Autobot does not interfere!" Scar shouted. He ran at Skylar and tried to hit her. She merely stepped to the side and elbowed him in the back as he ran past.

"_The nigh unbeatable power,"_

Scar pulled out a gun.

"NO!" Ian cried.

"_Thou hast chosen me. Thou hast granted me thine sacred power,"_

Scar shot at Skylar over and over again, but none of the bullets would connect. She simply continued her incantation without flinching.

"Something's wrong here," one of the Decepticons said.

"Let's get out of here!" The other decided.

They let go of Arcee and tried to make a break for it.

"_Allow me to pass judgment upon these sinners!"_

Every door in the room suddenly shut. They transformed and tried to break through, but nothing would work. If they touched the walls, they would be shocked and cry out in pain. They were trapped. Trapped by Skylar's strange power.

"_The power of miracles that appears within we weak humans in our hours of greatest need! Come forth! The power of miracles! Deus Ex Machina!"_

Skylar tore the glove off of her hand. Her entire arm started to glow. It was wrapped in a beautiful silver gauntlet that reached up to her shoulder, covered in ornate etchings. The fingers were long and elegant, it shined silver and filled the room with an overwhelming aura.

"Years ago, you used that power against me!" Scar screamed. "You humiliated me! It took me years to find work again!"

Skylar didn't flinch. "That's a risk when you work as an assassin."

She, ever so slightly, tapped his forehead with her index finger. Scar went flying into the wall next to Ian. He was embedded in a concrete crater.

Skylar walked towards the Decepticons. One screamed and fired at her.

"Skylar! Run!" Arcee cried.

Skylar merely raised the gauntlet in front of the energy ball. It vanished upon contact.

She looked into their red optics. "I'm sorry. But I have no choice."

Skylar ran towards them and easily dodged the many projectiles they fired at her in a series of graceful flips and leaps. She waved the gauntlet in a motion that crossed the Decepticon on the right. It slammed into its companion and against the wall. She walked up to them, and merely gave them the slightest touch.

They screamed. As Skylar walked away, they screamed. Their armor glowed and were gradually covered in strange markings—the same kind that had held up Ian earlier. Circled with symbols and words in unrecognizable languages, all over their bodies.

They imploded.

They shrunk, cracked, and broke away into nothing, leaving a pile of ash in their wake.

Skylar looked at Ian and Arcee, tears streaming down her face. "This is the reason. This is why I never get close to anything Cybertronian."

Skylar started to walk away. Ian ran after her and grabbed her by the shoulder. "I still don't understand!"

Skylar looked at Arcee, too shocked to move.

"I promised you an explanation," she said, "and that's exactly what I'm going to give you."

(…)

They walked into one of Neopolis's many parks. There were patches of concrete placed near the park benches, so Autobots could park near where the humans would sit. Arcee parked in the far end of the concrete area, as far away from Skylar as she could get without messing up the grass.

Skylar stepped out onto the grass and took out a knife and the gun. She started to carve another strange circle into the ground. When she was done, she fired the gun at the center of the circle and the circle glowed. It expanded over the area.

The park vanished. It melted away into a different landscape as the circle expanded over the ground. Chicago. They were in Chicago now. It was in the middle of the assault from ten years ago. A girl with fair skin and a man ran out of the area, hand in hand.

"_You have to understand," _the man said._ "Not all of the aliens are bad. Some of them are on our side, but our leaders were stupid and sent the bad ones away—to be killed by their enemies."_

His voice echoed, like a distant memory.

The girl nodded. _"I think I get it. They're people, like us. Some are bad, but some are good."_

A Decepticon appeared from behind a building. It cackled and aimed its weapon at them. The man pushed the little girl away as the monster fired. The man vanished, leaving nothing but ashes and bone. The girl survived, but she wasn't out of the blast range. Her arm vanished in the way that the man did. The stub that was her arm bled profusely. She started to cry.

"_WHY?"_ She screamed. _"WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?"_

The Decepticon picked her up by the scruff of her neck and started to cackle. _"An insect amongst insects! A squishy that can't even fend for itself yet!"_

The girl's innocent face was filled with a bloodthirsty rage. She grit her teeth and covered the wound with her one good hand.

"_DIE! GO AWAY AND DIE!"_ She screamed.

The stub glowed and was replaced by the gauntlet, just as it had before.

"_DISSAPEAR!" _

The Decepticon vanished in the same way the other two had, only this time the girl didn't touch it. It merely vanished. More Decepticons came at the sounds of its cries, but they all suffered the same fate. The girl wiped them out one by one.

Then an Autobot came.

She saw it when him was too late, but she still cried for him to run. She tried to warn him, to tell him that she couldn't control it. But he screamed, became covered in those markings, and vanished. When she realized what happened, the bloodlust vanished from her face. She fell to her knees and started to sob.

A man in a longcoat and hat came up to her. He held a decorative pistol in one hand, a cane in another.

"_You have an awesome power,"_ he said. _"The world around you is changing, and that power will not allow you to live in it as it is. You have to options: kill every Cybertronian you come near, or run away to protect the beings that fight for humanity from yourself. Which do you choose?"_

"_NEITHER!"_ She cried.

The man cocked his head.

"_Teach me! Teach me how to control it! I know you can!"_

The man gently took the young Skylar in his arms. _"You sure are a tough one."_

The landscape of Chicago vanished and they were once again in the warehouse.

"This is why I can't touch anything Cybertronian. I've forgiven, I can tell the difference between Autobot and Decepticon, but this can't!" She raised the gauntlet. "When I vanished, I learned how to control it to an extent. It'll only go berserk when I touch something Cybertronian, but even if I don't want it to, it will destroy anything Cybertronian it touches!" Skylar wiped away her tears. "I'd live in a place different than Neopolis if I could, but my parents don't know what happened—they don't understand! So I have to put up with the risk of accidentally killing someone until I can graduate and move away!"

Ian stood up. Arcee transformed.

"This entire time… When you refused to touch anything Cybertronian, and dealt with the hate of your student peers," Arcee began.

"You were protecting the Autobots around you!" Ian finished.

Skylar turned away from them. "I don't blame you if you hate me. Or if you're scared of me. I understand."

She started to walk away, but stopped after a few short steps. Ian had wrapped his arms around her. He wouldn't let go.

"I am so sorry. You've had to go through so much—so much that _no one_ should have to go through!"

Skylar gawked at him for a moment. "You're going to have to deal with every one of my enemies—people that would give anything to see me dead."

"I don't care. You shouldn't have to be alone in this."

She smiled.

"Suit yourself."


End file.
